If You Blinked, You Missed The Big News About Biofuel & The Bioeconomy

It’s become commonplace for President* Trump’s administration to promote initiatives of its own under the very nose of the Commander-in-Chief, and this latest case is on the scale of ludicrous mode. A laundry list of federal agencies has just released a report billed as a “framework for advancing the bioeconomy,” aka a roadmap for promoting biofuel and bioproducts that kill coal and shrink the market for oil and natural gas, too.

The initiative also includes the Departments of Transportation, Interior, and Defense, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

STP happens to occupy a line in the organizational chart right under the Executive Office of the President. So yes, under his nose.

Biofuels, The Bioeconomy, & Climate Change

Before you get too excited, consider that the whole thing could be so much smoke and air designed to pacify the nation’s beleaguered farmers, many of whom are suffering the ripple effects of Trump’s trade policies.

On the other hand, the emerging bioeconomy is a key growth opportunity market for the US agriculture and forestry sectors. That market is moving far beyond biofuel as the green chemistry movement grows.

The bioeconomy initiative builds on an ambitious biofuel and rural economic development program launched during the Obama administration, which enlisted USDA, DOE, and the Department of the Navy in a collaborative effort.

The changing climate presents real threats to U.S. agricultural production, forest resources, and rural economies. These threats have significant implications not just for farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, but for all Americans. Land managers across the country are already feeling the pressures of a changing climate and its effects on weather. As these risks continue and amplify, producers will be faced with the challenges of adapting.

The Deep State, Biofuel, & The Bioeconomy

The new initiative has its roots in the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000. That piece of legislation gave birth to a coordinating body called the Biomass Research and Development Board.

In 2013 BR&D Board developed the Bioeconomy Initiative as a platform for addressing “key scientific and technical challenges to enable the sustainable production and utilization of biomass for affordable domestic biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.”

Deep State!

The new biofuel and bioeconomy roadmap fits neatly into the BR&D mandate. Here’s the money quote from a press release put out on March 5 by USDA’s Department of Research, Education, and Economics:

“The emerging bioeconomy presents an opportunity to expand and enable new agriculture and forest markets while also improving the sustainability of the broader modern economy and environment,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Scott Hutchins. “Strategic federal investments are developing technologies for the bioeconomy that promise to create new possibilities for renewable product supply-chains, jobs, and economic opportunities.”

Biofuels & The Bioeconomy Of The Future

For that matter, the March press release is not archived on the USDA home page (it got shuffled off to REE), and it doesn’t appear to be anywhere on the DOE site , not even at the home page for the agency’s hyperactive Bioenergy Technologies Office, which has been steadily juicing the bioeconomy for the past two years.

If you can find that press release anywhere else but REE, drop us a note in the comment thread.

Meanwhile, the Framework is pretty clear on its intention to kill of coal and have a whack at oil and natural gas, too. Here’s the money quote from the Executive Summary:

…The cutting-edge research and development (R&D) described in this Framework can advance technologies to provide a secure, reliable, affordable, and enduring supply of U.S. energy and products.

There has been great progress to date, but many opportunities remain to unlock the full potential of the U.S. bioeconomy.

According to the Framework, the idea is to take specific action steps that will address technological “uncertainty.” It will also “leverage government, academic, industrial, and non-governmental resources and capabilities; stimulate public-private partnerships and investment; and generate technical information that can inform decision-makers and policymakers across complex value chains.”

About the Author

Tina Casey specializes in military and corporate sustainability, advanced technology, emerging materials, biofuels, and water and wastewater issues. Tina’s articles are reposted frequently on Reuters, Scientific American, and many other sites. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on Twitter @TinaMCasey and Google+.

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.